The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-03-17
Opposition to Taxation,

To THE CITIzEN:-
[ did not intend to say anything more
on the subject OF railroads, but as you
did not understand my position in my
last short epistle, deem it necessary to
be understood, viz: | do not oppose
the building of railroads by those who
are able to take stock in them but do
think it very wrong to tax the citizens
OF Giles county in our present condition
to assist in building another railroad,
for tue constables now have great
many unpaid tax claims for 1886 in
their hands for collection, and that evil
IDENTIFY shows that great many of them
are now pressed, and those who are
pressed are the ones, generally, that are
benefited the least by the road.
AS | am badly posted about the
amount of our state debt, you will con-
fer q great favor on myself and, think,
many others, by letting US know when
and how the state debt become so much
reduced (only little over ten millions
now and l do not consider that very
small myself; for if we had to pay that
off this year / think there are many that
would become homeless 1t | recollect
correctly when our legislature was leg
years past that the principal and in
terest then amounted to about thirty
million dollars; and all of the state
bonds, except some that were given for
special purposes, were reduced fifty per
cent, and that would make the debt tif-
teen millions and if recollect correct
ly after these special unredeemed bonds
were added the amount then was over
seventeen millions, (and you see that
approaches the twenty millions l spoke
off, If anything bat the interest has
ever been paid do not recollect seeing
or hearing of it. If you are correct
about the competition OF nother road
| reducing our freight half, let's have
third one and we might be like the
man that said if one curry comb was
" orth half feed to his horse he would
get two so he would not have to feed
any. So if we have enough roads our
| freights might be nothing. If 100000
! for Giles is such a small matter, why
| did not you and the other delegates to
Murfreesboro just propose to take the
above amount in stock, and that proba-
bly, would have produced as much re-
| ieicing as for Gle. to have proposed it.
| No, you had rather make a cats paw of
Giles, and do not believe the citizens
of this county are going to be handled
in any such way and vote more tax on
themselves, when they are already heav-
lily taxed; for it has been but few
years since this county had to increase
ner tax rate sufficiently to pay about
thirty thousand dollars county court
bonds to Judge Spofford, inherited from
the Tom Martin estate, and my impress
sion now is that those bonds were issued
to Mr.. Martin to make up deficit caus-
ed by unpaid railroad taxes that were
assessed to build the Nashville & Deca-
tur road. Burnt children dread the fire
You state that you think that our state
tax is the least of any of the states
and that may be so, but / Saw not long
since in reliable paper. that our state
debt is the largest in the Union. There
fore am opposed to increasing our liza.
bilities as a county or state. You thai
have surplus means and want the road
take stock and build it; you are able to
do it, but you ought to abhor the ides
OF wanting your neighbors Chat are
now encountered by heavy tax, ant
striving daily to get straight with the
world) of increasing their taxes. Why
it is almost ridiculous. l would say
more but this ought to be sufficient,
Lynnville. D. X. HIGDoN, ~. d.